The Infernal Aether (First Draft)

Chapter 24 - Dancing with the Devil

A year went by and the anniversary of the first printing of Life's Uncertain Voyage was soon upon us, marked by a lavish party thrown by my publishers at the home of the proprietor William Bradbury.

As the guest of honour I decided to arrive fashionably late so that I would be the rightful centre of attention as I stepped through the door. I allowed myself a smile as my carriage drew up at Mister Bradbury's lavish house. My life over the past year had surpassed even my own wildest expectations, such that I was not only a regular visitor to the highest echelons of Parliament, but had also been granted two audiences with Queen Victoria. People were already talking of the speed and trajectory of my career as having the potential to relegate Mister Dickens to a mere footnote in the history books, a point of view which I was only too happy to cultivate.

I adjusted my waistcoat and jacket as I stepped down to the ground and walked towards the front door, only to hear my name called from behind me. I turned, expecting that the coachman had spotted something that I had left behind in the carriage. Instead I was faced with Maxwell and N'yotsu.

"What a surprise," I said. "I thought that these gatherings were not your cup of tea."

"They are not," said Maxwell. "But I wanted to talk with you."

"I know," I said. "I have received the messages. I am sorry -- I will ensure you get an appointment soon."

"Listen to you, appointment indeed!" snorted Maxwell. "I am your elder brother, and care about you a d--n sight more than anyone in that house."

"At least they bother to turn up to my functions," I said. "At least they show some form of interest in my work and success, however feigned it may be."

He let out a short laugh. "So that is what this has all been about? I have hurt your feelings by not presenting myself at your feet to extoll the virtues of your work?"

"Well...As a matter of fact, yes you have. I have always pretended to be interested in your madcap inventions. But the moment I do something which eclipses what you do, you lose all interest in me."

"Is this going to take long?" asked N'yotsu.

"Oh, shut up!" I said, before turning back to Maxwell. "Just for once it would have been nice for you to acknowledge that I have done well."

"Actually, that is one of the reasons that we wanted to speak with you," Maxwell said. "We were interested in your somewhat meteoric rise, how you were suddenly spotted and then catapulted into a your ideal opportunity in spite of having no track record. In the course of our investigations, we stumbled on something interesting, have we not?" He looked at N'yotsu, who nodded. Maxwell continued: "We observed some readings which would be consistent with some form of demonic interference in everything that has happened."

I laughed. "I genuinely do not believe this! Your lack of faith in my abilities is so complete that you cannot believe that I could achieve anything through my own efforts. Instead you have to bring your d---d occult and Aether into this, to try and explain how poor old Augustus could ever amount to anything!" They both looked down, shamefaced. "You really cannot allow me any form of achievement, can you? Well you will just have to accept this: I have made a success of myself, I did it through my own endeavours, and there is nothing you can do about it!"

I turned to leave, only to be greeted with another face which was strangely familiar.

"Hello again Mister Potts," said the salesman from that drunken night in the tavern. "Remember me? We made a bargain a year ago. You got everything you wanted. Now I have come to collect my price."

My stomach turned to ice as it all came flooding back to me: memories of a conversation when I was at my lowest ebb, an offer too tempting to resist. And a price which I never thought would be exacted.